Construction Site Sweeping

Every lawful construction site has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit that includes BMPs specific to that site. The BMPs focus on what contractors can do to best prevent runoff and soil erosion from pouring tons of mud into nearby creeks, rivers, and bays. Although rain and construction are essential parts of the environment and economy, they can be like mixing fire and gasoline.

As construction begins, it disturbs land and soil. The construction company typically removes grasses and trees so they can have a blank slate to begin construction. If it rains, this disturbed area will see increased erosion because there are no longer plants and root systems to hold soil in place. Erosion is when the sediments (clay, silt, and sand) that make up the soil are detached from the ground. The rainwater runs through a construction site and takes soil with it. These soil particles will eventually settle out somewhere. (This is known as sedimentation.) If BMPs aren't in place to stop the stormwater runoff, they flow through streets, into storm drains, and deposit tons of sediment in your local Watershed.

This sedimentation increases turbidity (cloudiness) in the waters. Turbidity is harmful to species living in our waterways. Critical grass beds that need sunlight to survive are smothered out and killed off. Many fish species rely on those grass beds as a habitat and feed on the critters that live in the grass beds, and they now have less food to eat and less habitat for spawning. This domino effect impacts species up the food chain, ultimately reducing how many fish are out there to catch.

Moreover, fewer grass beds mean no roots to hold the sediment in the bay and create even more turbidity in a vicious feedback cycle. The goal of BMPs is straightforward: slow down, reduce, and eliminate the flow of this muddy stormwater runoff. This will prevent mud and other harmful things stormwater carries (stuff like pesticides, fertilizers, and litter) from making it into your local waterways.

One such BMP is construction site sweeping. Construction site sweeping is a non-structural method of controlling pollutants and an effective way to reduce sediment loadings to downstream water bodies.

Sweeping is also highly regarded as a cost-effective method to maintain stormwater systems by removing sediment and debris before it reaches any structural stormwater runoff controls. Studies show that sweepers can pick up pollutants at the cost of less than $5 and $10 per pound, respectively. In contrast, a study by CalTrans showed that capturing pollutants in the runoff stream averages $35 per pound, which didn't include the cost of the real estate needed for most end-of-the-pipe retrofits.

Construction sweeping also improves the cleanliness of the site. This, in turn, can help with sales and marketing efforts and keep the interiors of construction site buildings free of mud and dirt.

The number of companies offering quick-response and heavy-duty sweeping for the construction industry is relatively small. If you want sweeping services for site cleanup, hire a contractor with good construction sweeping experience. They must also have the type of sweepers needed for the job. On any job, you need someone capable of achieving the best possible results, especially under the most demanding conditions. When it comes to construction sites, this is especially true. The sweeper's job can change almost hourly, which means that each job site can potentially have a wide variety of new and exciting challenges.

If you would like to know more about construction site sweeping and what sweeper best fits the job. Please visit: https://schwarze.com/en/construction-cleaning/